Tie spacer for railroad and like bridges



Dec. 29, 1931. J. N. OSTROM 1,838,784

TI E SPACER FOR RAILROAD AND LIKE BRIDGES Filed July 27, 1931 20 19 flj% jkn 1 Osirom Patented Dec. 29, 1931 JOHN n. os'rnoivr, or CHICAGO,ILLINOIS TIE SPACER FOR RAILROAD 'AND LIKE BRIDGES Application filedJuly 27,

to It is also an object of the invention to provide a tie spacer for thepurpose above mentioned which may be easily and economicallymanufactured and which will not add materially to the cost of the bridgestructure.

Other objects and advantages will be understood by reference to thefollowing specification and accompanying drawings in which I haveillustrated certain details of a bridge structure embodying a tie spaceraccording to a selected embodiment of myinvention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, and

Figure 4; is a perspective showing a portion of a tie spacer embodying apreferred form of my invention.

Referring now to the drawings, I have indicated a bridge structure whichembodies a girder or stringer 5 which is seated at its ends on suitablesupports, one of which is shown, in this instance, as consisting of aconcrete structure 6 of any suitable form. The girder or stringer 5includes a web portion 7 and top and bottom flange portions 8 and 8,respectively. The details of construction of the girder may be inaccordance with ordinary practice; for instance, such as indicated inFigure 3, wherein the top flange is shown as being formed of a pair ofoppositely facing, angle iron members disposed on opposite sides of thetop marginal portion of the web 7, these angle iron members beingriveted or otherwise secured to the web.

In more or less common practice in railroad bridge construction, woodenties 9 are seated on the top flanges of a pair of relatively 1931.Serial no. 553,334.

spaced girders such as 5, and suitably secured thereto, for instance, bybolts, lag screws or spikes, and rails such as indicated at 10 arepositioned on the ties, tie plates such as indicated at 11 being usuallyinterposed between the rail and the tie. Variousforms and arrangementsof guard rails have also been used, and in this instance a guard rail 12is shown disposed inside of the rail.

' In a bridge structure embodying my improvement, the general details ofconstruction may be substantially in accordance with any one of manyforms of 'more or less standard practice, but to prevent tie bunching,which has occurred many times on bridges with serious results, Iinterpose a tie spacer 14 between the top flange of the girder orstringer and the ties seated thereon.

The improved tie spacer herein disclosed consists of an elongated steelplate or fiat bar 20 15 which is provided on its top surface with aplurality of transversely extending ribs 16 formed integrally with theplate or bar. The ribs 16 are arranged in pairs, one suchpair beingindicated at 17 in Figure It will be observed that each pair of ribsforms, with the intermediate portion of the plate, a seat for receivingand positioning a tie.

Steel spacer plates or bars, such as the one just described, can beeconomically rolled with integral transverse ribs of suficient height,about one-fourth of an inch, to maintain the ties in position andprevent them from bunching. Such plates may be rolled in anydesiredlengths to suit individual re- $5 quirements. Such a plate may bemade the full length of a bridge, or it may be made in such lengths thata plurality of spacers will be required tocover the full length of thebridge.

My improved spacer may conveniently be seated on the top flange 8 of thegirder or stringer and welded or otherwise secured thereto. Ties maythen be positioned in the spaced seats formed by the pairs of ribs andanchored in place by bolts, lag screws or spikes. In this instance,I'have shown lag screws 18 extending through the top flange of thegirder, through the tie spacer 14 and into each tie 9 for anchoring thetie in place. 100

The fastenings 18 serve to hold the ties to the plate 15 and the ribs 16then serve to prevent tie bunching.

It will be observed that my improved spacer may be made at acomparatively low cost and that it will not add materially to the weightor cost of the bridge structure, while, at the same time, affording avery desirable safety factor. It will also be observed that my improvedtie spacer serves to strengthen the top flange of the girder andconstitutes, in effect, a part of the top flange of the girder, so thatthe tie-engaging ribs may be said to extend upwardly from said topflange.

I am aware that changes may be made in the embodiment of my inventionthus described without departing from the spirit of my invention, thescope of which should be determined by reference to the followingclaims, the same being construed as broadly as possible consistent withthe state of the art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A tie spacer comprising an elongated metallic plate having aplurality of relatively spaced, transversely extending ribs projectingupwardly therefrom for co-acting with ties seated on the plate, toprevent bnnehing of the ties.

A. railroad or like bridge structure comprising a girder or stringerhaving a top flange portion, a plurality of ties overlying and supportedby said top flange portion, tie-spacing means comprising a plurality ofrelatively spaced tie-engaging ribs extending upwardly from said topflange portion to prevent bunching of the ties.

3. A railroad or like bridge structure comprising a girder or stringerhaving a top flange portion, a plurality of ties overlying and supportedby said top flange portion, tie-spacing means comprising a plurality ofpairs of relatively spaced ribs forming, with the respectiveintermediate portions of the top flange, seats for receiving andpositioning a tie on said flange, said pairs of ribs being arranged inspaced relation longitudinally of the supporting girder or stringer andserving to prevent tie bunching.

4:. A railroad or like bridge structure comprising a girder or stringer,a plurality of ties overlying and supported by said girder or stringer,and a tie spacer interposed between said stringer and said ties, saidspacer comprising an elongated plate having in its top surface aplurality of upwardly facing tie-receiving seats disposed inpredetermined relation longitudinally of the plate for receiving andpositioning said ties in said predetermined relation.

5. A railroad or like bridge structure comprising a girder or stringer,a plurality of ties overlying and supported by said girder or stringer,and a tie spacer interposed between said top flange and said ties, saidspacer comprising a rolled, elongated steel plate having its top surfaceformed with a plurality of upwardly facing tie-receiving seats disposedin specified relation longitudinally of the plate for receiving andpositioning said ties in specified relation, and means for anchoring.said spacer and ties to said girder or stringer.

6. A railroad or like bridge structure comprising a girder or stringerhaving a web portion and a laterally extending top flange portion, aplurality of ties overlying and supported by said girder or stringer,and a tie spacer interposed between said top flange and said ties, saidspacer comprising an elongated plate having in its top surface aplurality of upwardly facing tie-receiving receptacles disposed inspecified relation longitudinally of the plate for receiving andpositioning said ties in specified relation, and fastening meansextending through said flange and spacer and into said ties for securingsaid parts in relatively fixed relation.

7. A railroad or like bridge structure comprising a girder or stringerhaving a web portion and a laterally extending top flange portion, aplurality of ties overlying and supported by said girder or stringer,and a tie spacer interposed between said top flange and said ties, saidspacer comprising an elongated plate seated on and welded to said topflange and having in its top surface a plurality of upwardly facing,tie-receiving receptacles disposed in specified relation longitudinallyof the plate for receiving and positioning said ties in specifiedrelation, and means for anchoring said ties to said spacer.

8. A safety device for railroad bridge structures comprising a rolled,elongated steel plate or flat bar having formed integrally therewith, onits upper face, transversely extending, tie-engaging ribs for preventingtie bunching.

JOHN N. OSTROM.

